"A GIRL OF SEVEN YRS OLD"

           

          

THIS STORY I'M ABOUT TO TELL YOU WAS IN NINETEEN FIFTY THREE.

 

ONLY A GIRL OF SEVEN YEARS OLD BUT IT ALWAYS STAYS WITH ME.

 

MY MOTHER AND MY FATHER WERE  THE STEWARD AND STEWARDESS.

 

OF THE WORKING MENS CLUB IN OUR TOWN AND I HATED IT I CONFESS.

 

IN THEM DAYS THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY LIVING ACCOMODATION THERE.

 

THE CLUB  LOCKED UP AND HOME YOU WENT WHEN YOUR DUTY YOU HAD SHARED.

 

THE WORKING MENS CLUB AND INSTITUTE AS EVERYBODY KNOWS.

 

WAS A POPULAR PLACE FOR LOCALS AND WHERE OTHERS USED TO GO.

 

EACH NIGHT MY MOTHER AND FATHER  WOULD GO ALONG TO HERE.

 

PULLING PINTS AND LIQUORS FOR THE LOCALS LIVING NEAR.

 

ORGANISING MUSIC GROUPS AND ACTS OF EVERY KIND.

 

TO ENTERTAIN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD  WHO WENT FOR A GOOD TIME.

 

WELL ONE COLD WINTERS EVENING MY BABYSITTER CAME.

 

TO LOOK AFTER ME AS USUAL MRS GOODLAD WAS HER NAME.

 

SHE USED TO ARRIVE ABOUT SEVEN 'O'CLOCK SO OFF MY PARENTS WENT.

 

FOR ANOTHER EVENINGS WORK MANY LONG HOURS THERE THEY SPENT.

 

THIS NIGHT WHILST SHE WAS WALKING HERE A MAN HAD FOLLOWED HER.

 

DOWN THE ROAD TO OUR HOUSE AND THIS HAD SHOOK HER NERVE.

 

SO BEFORE THEY SET OUT DAD HE WENT AND TOOK  A LOOK AROUND.

 

BUT KNOWONE COULD HE SEE  IN SIGHT THERE WERN'T A SOUL ABOUT.

 

ON FRIDAY NIGHTS A VAN WOULD CALL ROUND INTO OUR STREET .

 

AND ALL THE LOCAL NEIGHBOURS USED TO BUY SOME PIE AND PEAS.

 

THESE WE HAD FOR SUPPER AND THE BEST THEY WERE IN TOWN.

 

THERE USED TO BE A LONG LONG QUEUE AND ALL WOULD CROWD AROUND.

 

IN THESE DAYS ALL THE HOUSES WERE ONLY VERY SMALL.

 

TWO ROOMS  UP ONE ROOM DOWN WITH NO BATHROOM IN AT ALL.

 

THE TOILET WAS OUTSIDE SO IF YOU NEEDED THERE TO GO.

 

A PRETTY LONG YARD TO CROSS IF YOU  YOU HAD TO VISIT SO.

 

THE EVENING IT PASSED BY AND MRS GOODLAD SAID TO ME.

 

WAIT HERE I WON'T BE LONG DEAR  MRS GOODLAD NEEDS TO PEE.   (HA-HA)

 

SHE ALWAYS LOOKED THROUGH THE WINDOW FIRST AND IT WAS A COLD AND FOGGY  NIGHT.

 

WHEN SHE LET OUT A VERY LOUD SCREAM AND SAID THERES THAT MAN AGAIN IN SIGHT.

 

WE LIVED AROUND THE BACK SO OUR DOOR WAS NOT ON SHOW.

 

WITH THE MAIN ROAD ROUND THE FRONT UP A GINNEL SHE HAD TO GO.   (PASSAGEWAY)

 

WELL I PEEPED THROUGH THE CURTAINS AND COULD JUST MAKE OUT HIS FORM.

 

WE WERE BOTH SCARED TO DEATH THINKING WE WOULD COME TO HARM.

 

IN THESE DAYS THERES NO TELEPHONE SO NO WAY  COULD SHE LET.

 

MY MOTHER AND MY FATHER KNOW  NOR DARE SHE GO OUT TO GET.

 

ANYONE TO HELP US SO WE SAT THERE PETRIFIED.

 

AND THE FIRE WAS GETTING LOW AND THE COAL IT WAS OUTSIDE.

 

 

MRS GOODLAD GRABBED ME TIGHT AND ON THE SETTEE WE CUDDLED UP.

 

SO TO KEEP  US WARM SOME OLD COATS ROUND BOTH OF US SHE PUT.

 

THE COAL SCUTTLE WAS NOW EMPTY SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

 

AS IT WAS GETTING COLDER SO SHE SAID I'LL  BURN MY SHOE.

 

FIRST SHE HAD A PEEP THROUGH THE WINDOW ONCE AGAIN.

 

THE MAN HE SEEMED TO MAKE A MOVE AND SHE WAS GOING INSANE..

 

SHE WAS SHAKING WITH MUCH FEAR AND WITH THE COLD SHE SAID TO ME.

 

I'M THROWING BOTH SHOES ON THE FIRE OR WE'LL BOTH FREEZE YOU AND ME.

 

I WAS SCARED I STARTED CRYING AND I  REMEMBER TO THIS DAY.

 

SHE WAS MARCHING UP AND DOWN WITH HANDS CLASPED HARD TO PRAY.

 

A DEDICATED CATHOLIC SHE'S REPEATING ALL THESE PRAYERS.

 

WHEN SHE SHOUTED COME ON HELP ME KATH TO MOVE YOUR FATHERS CHAIR.

 

WE LIFTED UP THE ARMCHAIR IT FELT TO WEIGH A TON.

 

AND WE PUT IT BEHIND THE DOOR IN CASE THE MAN HE DID COME.

 

TRYING TO FORCE HIMSELF INSIDE SHE PILED ALSORTS ON TOP.

 

THEN WALKED OVER TO THE FIREPLACE THE POKER THEN SHE GOT. 

 

  (HA-HA)

 

IF HE TRIES GETTING IN HERE I REMEMBER THAT SHE SAID.

 

I'LL GIVE HIM SOME OF THIS DON'T FEAR RIGHT ACROSS HIS HEAD.

 

THEN SHE SAID COME ON NOW KATH IT'S TIME YOU WERE FAST ASLEEP.

 

AND BEFORE SHE TOOK ME UP TO BED SHE HAD ANOTHER PEEP.

 

I COULDN'T GET TO SLEEP AND I KEPT LOOKING OUT AS WELL.

 

AND THE MAN HE WAS STILL THERE HE WAS ROCKING I COULD TELL.

 

IN THE SHADOWS OF THE FOG I WAS WATCHING HIM STOOD THERE.

 

HANGING ON SO TERRIFIED TO MY TEDDY BEAR.

 

THE HOURS THEY SEEMED TO DRAG BY AND IT CAME AROUND FOR DAD .

 

AND MOTHER TO COME HOME AND WASN'T MRS GOODLAD GLAD.

 

A KNOCK CAME TO THE DOOR AND SHE SHOUTED HELLO THERE IS IT JOE.

 

MY DAD SAID YES IT'S US LASS AND I FELT MY FACE IT GLOWED.

 

JUST A MINUTE JOE SHE SAID WHILE I MOVE THE CHAIR.

 

I HEARD MY DAD SHOUTING BACK WHATS THE CHAIR DOING THERE.

 

SHE STRUGGLED WITH THE CHAIR AND THEN MY MOTHER AND DAD CAME IN.

 

OH! SHE SAID I'M GLAD YOUR HOME HAVE YOU BOTH SEEN HIM.

 

SEEN WHO MY DAD REPEATED THAT BLOKES OUT THERE SHE CRIED.

 

AND POINTED TO THE WALL BEHIND THE TOILET JUST OUTSIDE.

 

MY DAD TURNED ROUND AND SAID I CARN'T SEE HIM ANYWHERE.

 

THERES ONLY MY STIFF OVERALLS HANGING IN THE AIR.   (HA-HA)

 

ON THIS COLD FROSTY EVENING MY MOTHER HAD LEFT THEM OUT.

 

AND THEY HAD FROZEN STIFF ON THE LINE AND WITH NO PROP ABOUT.

 

SO THE LEGS HUNG DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND IN THE DARKNESS OF THE NIGHT.

 

WE HAD  THOUGHT IT WAS A MAN STOOD THERE  AND IT GAVE US BOTH THIS FRIGHT. 

 

 

WELL IT WAS A VERY FOGGY NIGHT AND FROSTY AND BITTER COLD.

 

MY MOTHER BROUGHT THE OVERALLS IN AND GAVE  ME THEM TO HOLD.

 

THEM WHILE SHE PUT THEM ON THE WOODEN WINTEREDGE TO THAW.

 

AND I REMEMBER MRS GOODLAD SAYING DON'T DO IT ANY MORE..

 

I'D COME DOWNSTAIRS TO TELL THEM I COULDN'T GET TO SLEEP.

 

AND THAT I HAD BEEN TERRIFIED EVERYTIME I'D PEEPED.

 

WHEN SHE TOLD MY MOTHER AND DAD SHE'D HAD TO BURN HER SHOES.

 

HE TOOK HER TO THE SHOE CUBOARD A NEW PAIR THERE TO CHOOSE.

 

FROM SOME OF MY MOTHERS BEST ONES AS THEY BOTH TOOK A SIZE THREE.

 

AND I CRYING AND MOANING COS I'D MISSED MY PIE AND PEAS.  (HA-HA )

 

MANY MANY YEARS AFTER MRS GOODLAD TOLD TO  ALL.

 

ABOUT THE NIGHT SHE BURNED HER SHOES AND THE FROZEN OVERALL.

 

IT WAS REALY REALY SCARY AND FIFTY THREE YEARS NOW DOWN THE LINE.

 

I NEVER IMAGINED I'D BE TELLING THIS TALE IN "MY SIMPLE RHYME"

 

 

     

 

(THANXS TO SUGAR OF SUGAR SHACK KEEPSAKES FOR THIS LOVELY GRAPHIC.)